Overnight Apple Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal cooks in the slow cooker all night for an effortless breakfast the next day…with an easy trick for no burnt edges!

Boy am I excited to share today’s recipe with y’all! Like so many of you, several years back I came across a tempting Pinterest gem for cooking steel cut oats in the slow cooker all night long, resulting in a hot, ready-made breakfast in the morning. The version I found promised that the oatmeal would taste like apple pie, and boy was I excited to try it!

So I dutifully chopped my apples and stirred my ingredients and set my crock pot to low and headed to bed to happily dream of all-American pie as its heavenly aroma wafted through the house all night long. And sure enough, in the morning, my beautiful, creamy, apple studded, cinnamon-laced steel cut oats were ready and waiting. I was very eager to try the oatmeal, and my family was chomping at the bit for me to fill their bowls and hand them spoons. There was only one teensy-weensy problem…

The oats were browned and stuck around the edges of the slow cooker.

I assumed my crock pot must run a bit too hot. Or maybe I let the oats cook a bit too long. At any rate, we ate what was in the center of the slow cooker and I scraped the mess stuck to the edges when it was time to clean up. We loved the taste of the oatmeal, though, so despite my less-than-100% success, I made the recipe many more times…sometimes adding a bit more liquid in hopes that the edges wouldn’t burn, sometimes getting up multiple times through the night to stir it (but only when a baby/toddler/child had already woken me up…I’m not that crazy). But I could never consistently get any variation of overnight slow cooker steel cut oatmeal to turn out perfectly without worrying about those darn burned edges.

UNTIL NOW. Friends, I can finally say that my overnight oatmeal woes are behind me. I have discovered a secret trick for preventing the darn stuff from sticking to the crock pot!

Are you ready? All you do is mix up your oatmeal recipe in an oven-safe baking dish (such as Corningware or Pyrex) that just so happens to fit down in the bottom of your slow cooker. Then, once your Apple Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal is assembled in said dish, place it in said slow cooker and pour water into the bottom of the slow cooker until it comes to an inch or so below the top of the baking dish. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours, and guess what??? Those oatmeal edges won’t be stuck or burnt! It’s a Festivus miracle!

Since the oatmeal will be cooking all night with the buffer of a baking dish and water, the oats won’t feel obligated to overcook around the edges of the crock pot. As a result, after a quick stir (since the apples and cinnamon do tend to rise to the top), the Apple Pie Oatmeal will be thick, creamy, delicious, and definitively not overdone! Add that to the fact that this oatmeal is healthy, and it’s as effortless as scooping into a bowl come breakfast time, and it makes a big enough batch to get your day off to a good start all week long (just reheat with a splash of milk)…and you’ve got a recipe that’s a year-round winner!

I typically use Honey Crisp apples in my oatmeal — since those are my family’s favorite, they’re what I usually have on hand — but feel free to use your preferred variety. As with baking apples in any recipe, keep in mind that some apples will hold their shape better and some will turn to complete mush. Braeburns, Pink Lady, and Golden Delicious apples are other good choices, in case you’re open to suggestions. 😉

So are you as excited to try this recipe as I am to share it??? Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal might be a mouthful of a recipe title, but in the time it takes to spit it out, you can practically have tomorrow’s breakfast mixed up and cooking away in the crock pot. And then you can drift off to sweet slumber enveloped by the heavenly scent of apple pie…and the knowledge that you won’t have to scrape and scrub a slow cooker in the morning. 😉

(And be sure to check out the how-to video below!)

Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Pie Steel Cut Oats Video:

Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Pie Steel Cut Oats Recipe

Overnight Apple Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal is easy to throw in the slow cooker before bed for an effortless breakfast the next day...and with a special, no-stirring-required trick, you won't have to worry about burnt edges in the morning!

OPTIONAL GARNISHES:

cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, chopped nuts

Instructions

Locate an oven-safe, not-too-shallow baking dish (such as Corningware or Pyrex) that will fit in your slow cooker. In the baking dish, place oats, diced apples, apple juice, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; stir to combine. Carefully place baking dish down in slow cooker and slowly pour water into the bottom of the slow cooker until its level is about 1 inch below the top of the baking dish. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Stir before serving.

Notes

You may leave the skin on the apples, if you wish.

I use a 2.5-liter round Corningware baking dish in a 6.5-quart slow cooker. It's okay if your baking dish is suspended by its sides on the edges of the slow cooker and doesn't touch the bottom...the lid of the slow cooker just needs to be able to close securely.

Once the oatmeal is cooked, be careful stirring it or removing the baking dish from the slow cooker as the water in the slow cooker will be extremely hot.

Some older model slow cookers run much cooler than newer slow cookers. In such a case, the oatmeal may still be liquid-y at the end of the directed cooking time and may need longer to cook or a higher temperature to finish thickening up.

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Hi Adrienne! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe. I’m sorry to say that I don’t have the nutritional information, though. I know there are lots of online calculators available…hopefully you can find one to give you the info you need. 🙂 Happy Friday!

Made this last night and the recipe worked well for me. I used the adapted cooking method with no sticking. Also– switched to honey instead of maple bc of preference and only used 1/4 cup. It was plenty sweet I wouldn’t recommend any more.

I’m so excited to make this!! The only steel oats my grocery store had while shopping were “quick cook” steel oats. I know it says no substitute but since these are still steel oats would they work? Can’t wait to try this recipe!

I’ve never made any kind of sticky breakfast dishes in my crockpot – many of the recipes I’ve come across have seemed to be a little complex for my budget and grocery list but this is PERFECT. My only question…

I have a small crock pot (2.5 – 3 quarts) and probably no baking dish that will fit inside. I know it’s unrealistic to expect non-burnt edges with the mixture right in the pot, but do you have any suggestions for “Less burnt” edges?

I made this yesterday and it was great! My apartment smelled so good. Used almond milk instead of cow’s milk, apple cider instead of apple juice, and pumpkin pie spice instead of nutmeg because I didn’t have any. When I served it I put some ghirardelli chocolate chips in it which was perfect, they melted into it and made it even more delicious! The only difficult part was trying to get the dish out of the hot water without burning myself.

I’m happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe so much, Mary! And thanks for sharing your favorite type of apples to use…I agree that different varieties yield different flavor and texture in this oatmeal. 🙂

Absolutely, Bete! I use unsweetened apple juice when I make this recipe, so I don’t find that the final oatmeal turns out too sweet, but you could definitely use all milk. You could also reduce the amount of maple syrup if you wish. 🙂

I’m sorry, Tonya…I haven’t tried reducing this recipe, but I suspect it would overcook if it went the whole night. If you’re willing to try a half batch during the day sometimes when you’re around to watch it, that would probably be the safest way to figure out a specific cooking time. 🙂 Good luck if you decide to try it!

I’ve tried halving it because I had a smaller crockpot and it cooked perfectly! It did not stick and cooked overnight for 8 hours. I also omitted the maple syrup and it was just as delicious. Both my kids ate their entire bowls. Best steel cut oats recipe!!! Thank you

Hi, I have an oval crockpot and had a hard time finding a dish that either wasn’t too large in diameter or too long to fit inside it. But your theory inspired me to try something: adding about an inch or so of water, then a crockpot liner, then the ingredients in the liner. The water came up the sides about 2/3 of the way, and kept the oatmeal from sticking to the liner. I added some walnuts, made a batch and a half of oatmeal, and it turned out perfectly. No worries about it sticking, finding a dish to fit or getting the dish out of the hot water. Hope this helps people with smaller crockpots or those who had problems with the dish in the hot water!

I made half the recipe and split that amount into two pint jars in my crock pot (ended up with 1 cup liquid and 1/4 cup oats in each jar, plus other ingredients). It worked perfectly! And I just put on a lid and took it on the road with me for my morning breakfast! Couldn’t have been easier! I like my oats cooked, not raw (as so many “overnight” recipes call for), so this is just my style! Thanks Samantha!

This is awesome … thanks for such a wonderful recipe! 2nd batch is cooking now. The first batch I cut the recipe in half, did the water bath method (using a PyrePerx mixing bowl that fit) and cooked in my crock pot on HIGH for 4 hours. The mixing bowl came with a lid so once it cooled it went in the fridge. It all worked perfectly! The water did boil on high setting so keeping the water level an inch or so below the edge of the bowl is definitely recommended. I didn’t have apple juice but the fresh apple cider I had from a local orchard worked perfect. Opted to use a little less than the lesser suggested amount of maple syrup and it was plenty sweet (used a store brand of 100% maple dark amber – YUM!)

I was at Target this week and found an Oxo brand glass baking dish that fits perfect into my crock pot. Not sure what size my crock pot is … I would consider it a middle of the road size Hamilton Beech with low medium high settings (nothing fancy except the lid clips down). The Oxo dish is 8 cups (shaped similar to a loaf pan with a click top lid). The full batch of oats is in it now cooking away and the full recipe fits perfectly. This recipe will be in a regular rotation at my house!

Thank you for this delicious recipe. The weather has been unseasonably cold here in Florida so it seemed to be a great time to make this for my visiting grandchildren. Big success. When the picky eater asked me to make it again on the second day, I was more than sold! Also the tip for the water bath worked like a charm.

I have made this a few times now and it almost seems to taste better with each batch lol. And one morning I was really running late so I just took a couple bites of it cold out of the fridge ….its like an oatmeal pudding that way! That will be great in the summer when you want a hearty breakfast without having to eat something hot. I’m going to make another batch tonight but I’m going to play around a bit…instead of apple juice I’m going to try coconut milk, and along with the apples I’m going to toss in some dried strawberries (they’re a bit hard to chew as is so it should re-hydrate in the oatmeal) and some blueberries too. This is such a great way to start your morning with little to no effort the night before! I love it! 😀

My family loved the pumpkin version so much we were excited to try this one. My first attempt is a failure. I reduced the maple syrup and still the oatmeal is way too sweet. In fact, I think I need to make a batch of regular oatmeal to reduce this by about half. If I try it again I may do as other suggested and reduce the apple juice as well.

Hi Brenda! Did your apple juice perhaps have added sugar? That definitely could have made the oatmeal too sweet. But either way, you can reduce the sweetness of this recipe by omitting the maple syrup altogether, or using water in place of some of the apple juice. 🙂

Every time I make this, I always end up with super clumpy oatmeal. I haven’t used the baking dish but do use a crockpot liner. I do add brewers yeast and ground flax seed meal so I’m not sure if that is causing the clumps or not. Also, do you think this could be cooked in an instapot instead of a crockpot?

Hi Ruth! Your results are going to be different using a crockpot liner as opposed to using a baking dish with a water bath. Oatmeal in a slow cooker will cook faster without the buffer of the water/baking dish…so if you oatmeal turns out clumpy, it sounds like it’s definitely overcooking. And I have not tried this recipe in an Instant Pot…I’m sure it would have to be adapted. Hope that helps!

We made this last night following the recipe using whole milk and bottled apple juice. We cooked on low using the water bath and second container inside the slow cooker. It appears that the milk curdled overnight. There’s cheesy chunks that won’t stir into the oats. They taste fine, however. Anyone else have any problems with this or have suggestions?

I’m sorry to hear that, Kathryn…I’ve made this recipes dozens of times and I’ve never had any issue with curdling. The only problem some people have reported with this recipe is that their oatmeal doesn’t thicken up by the end of the cooking time, but I attribute that to a low-heat slow cooker that takes longer to cook. I’ve never had anyone report curdling, so I’m honestly perplexed. I’m sorry I don’t have any suggestions!

Trying this recipe for the first time tonight. I have the slow cooker on a timer to turn on at 12 and off at 7 in the morning. I am diabetic so not using the apple juice and subbed with water. I sprayed the sides of the crock with coconut spray and not using the bath. Cannot wait to wake up in the morning. Will comment later on the results. If I decide to try again using the bath method I will use one of my own stoneware pots inside the crock. Thanks for the recipe.

I made this last night and it was delicious! Because I’m diabetic, I was concerned about using 2 cups of apple juice, so I substituted 2 cups of unsweetened applesauce instead. For the milk, I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I cut the Golden Delicious apples I used into chunks instead of dicing, just so that there would be some little chunks in the finished oatmeal. Just for personal taste, I think I’ll up the salt a little in the next batch, and there will DEFINITELY be a next batch after this is gone. It was fantastic! I brought some in for a co-worker who also loves oatmeal, and he couldn’t stop eating it, even though he had already eaten breakfast! Thanks for a great recipe!!

You can avoid using an extra dish in your Crock-Pot altogether if it has a warm setting. Set your low temperature for 2 and 1/2 hours and then it will automatically switch to warm for the rest of the night. When you wake up it will be delicious and it will not be burnt to the edges of your Crock-Pot. This recipe has the perfect proportion of liquid. The only things that I did different from the recipe was that I didn’t use cut apples. I used applesauce instead and I replaced the juice with water. All my kids loved it and that’s a hard order to fill. Thank you!

Ate this for breakfast this morning, and it was delicious. I didn’t have a dish that was quite deep enough to fit all the ingredients, so I only used 1 apple, instead of 2. I actually made this during the day, since crockpots seem to vary, and I wanted to keep an eye on it. Glad I did, because mine was done in about 5 hours. Great recipe! Thank you!

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Hi, I’m Samantha . . .

a busy wife and tired mama of two energetic boys and a sweet little girl living in Texas. I love cooking, writing, eating queso, watching college football, and taking way too many pics of my kids. In my “spare” time, I run this food blog and I wrote a cookbook. The days are crazy but the love is plenty between the five hearts that make up our home! (click for more)